124 New England Buildings Compete in EPA's Sixth Annual Energy Star Battle of the Buildings (07/22/2015)
BOSTON -- Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the 2015 ENERGY STAR Battle of the Buildings. Nationwide, more than 6,500 buildings of all types and sizes, and 125 teams nationwide are competing head to head to reduce their energy and water use. In the six New England states, 124 buildings have joined the competition. In support of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, which calls for businesses to cut waste and become at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020, the competition specifically targets wasted energy in commercial buildings and motivates organizations to improve energy efficiency, reduce harmful carbon pollution, and save money.

EPA Releases Updated Environmental and Public Health Indicators in Online Database (07/21/2015)
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updated environmental and public health indicators in an online database, making information about the current and historical condition of the nation's environment and human health more accessible to the public. This is an online update to EPA's Report on the Environment. Users can explore 85 individual indicators-- on our air, water, land, human exposure, health and ecological condition-- using interactive graphs, tables, and maps, and download the data for each indicator

Mercury Emissions Down but Mercury in Mass. Fish Remains High (07/21/2015)
Mercury emissions from major Massachusetts sources have declined by 90 percent over the past two decades, but mercury levels in the state's freshwater fish hold stubbornly high, with many species too contaminated for pregnant women and children to eat.
Yet languid summer days and the lure of Massachusetts' 3,000 freshwater bodies -- from the Berkshire's Lake Pontoosuc to Boston's Jamaica Pond -- send many anglers casting for a good fish dinner.

Success story: Cleaner bluefish show effectiveness of US coal regulations, study says (07/21/2015)
Mercury levels in bluefish caught off the U.S. Atlantic coast dropped more than 40 percent over the past four decades thanks to federal restrictions on coal emissions, according to a new study. This is good news not only for bluefish but for the entire predator fish population in the Mid-Atlantic. And it's better news for people fond of eating the tasty fish, often served broiled or baked, as it suggests that mercury reductions due to coal-fired plant emissions crackdowns in North America have quickly led to less contamination in marine life.